HC by Suehiro Marou – $24.95 adults only From the back: “Set in 1920s Japan, THE STRANGE TALE OF PANORAMA ISLAND follows the twisted path of failed novelist Hitomi, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the son of a rich industrialist. Learning of the rich man’s sudden passing, Hitomi undertakes a desperate plan to fake his own death and impersonate the industrialist.” It gets weirder – using the old man’s money, Hitomi “builds for himself an island playground of hedonistic excess — replete with waterfalls, grand palaces, and gardens, and decadent feasts, orgies, and dark secrets.” But the art is lush and detailed. This is not your paperback manga… this is super detailed line work and adult imagery.

AS YOU WERE: a punk comix anthology issue #1Saddle stich, black and white. $5 Despite being stapled, this is a surprisingly professional and good-looking anthology. It includes stories by MYP friends Brian Connolly (NOTHING MATTRESS) and Liz Prince. There’s no table of contents, but the back matter has biographies of all the participants.

Luke Pearson’s HILDA AND THE MIDNIGHT GIANT (click for Preview) HC – $24 kids book. From the back: “Hilda is a little girl who has an uncanny ability to befriend even the most peculiar of house guests, but when an army of ‘Hidden Elves’ bombard her living room in the dead of night with stones and forced eviction notices, she has to think twice before making these new creatures’ acquaintances.” This is a lovely book with very atmospheric colors and very cute characters.

Luke Pearson’sEVERYTHING WE MISS HC – $18 adults only.
On the other end of the spectrum, but also from Luke Pearson, we have this odd little hardcover. From the back: “On the dawn horizon, a pine tree all too briefly uproots itself. It dances… and nobody sees. “Have you ever wondered what goes on in your life when you’re looking the other way? Perhaps you’re so drawn into what’s going on with you that you fail to notice the events taking place in your periphery — or even right under your nose? In EVERYTHING WE MISS, Luke Pearson explores the dying days of a failing relationship through the infinitesimal unseen moments that surround it — and us.”